Have you ever questioned whether you should clap when the worship team is done with its set? I know that in most Western churches, this is unheard of. But would you clap if you went to a concert and saw musicians play their hearts out with the same level of excellence and passion? Why do we separate the two? Why is it culturally acceptable outside of the church for people’s talents to be celebrated, but inside the church, that would be seen as proud or stealing glory from God?

General Overseer Tim Hill, second from left, accepts the first copy of the FINISH Great Commission Bible from James O. Davis, left. Also pictured (left to right) are Leonard Sweet, Kenneth Ulmer, and Elmer Townes (click photo to enlarge)

October 31, 2017–Wittenberg, Germany – Members of the Church of God Executive Committee and other leaders from around the world are gathered in Germany for the Wittenberg 2017 Congress.

Keith Getty OBE and Kristyn Getty have today, on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, set a call to the church around the world to rediscover the power of congregational singing. The couple, who have written hymns sung by an estimated 40-50 million people in church services each year, echo Martin Luther’s challenge to view congregational singing not simply as an innovation, but rather a return to the Bible and the biblical practices followed well by the prophets and the ancient Church fathers.

The Rev. CJ Conner, Lutheran pastor, author, and director of Aspire Ministries in Dodge City Kansas, calls for official talks to begin between Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ and North American Lutheran Churches. Both denominations grew out of a split within the Evangelical Lutheran Churches in America beginning in 1999.

Lee University will host an Open House at their new School of Business building this Thursday, November 2 from 3:00 5:00 p.m. EST.

The Foundation for Moral Law, a Montgomery-based legal foundation established to defend religious liberty under the United States Constitution, urged Alabama school districts to resist the demands of the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) and others who are trying to drive prayer out of school athletic events.

Christian Freedom International is offering a free resource kit for churches to participate in the International Days of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. This annual event – held on the first and second Sundays of November – raises awareness of the persecution and oppression Christians around the world experience for their faith in Jesus Christ.

For the past two months, Operation Compassion has been busy delivering disaster relief products to those areas stricken by mammoth hurricanes from the Texas Gulf Coast to the outer reaches of the Caribbean. The total number of trucks delivering supplies has reached 119 for Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.

The City of Dothan, Alabama, and New Life in Jesus Ministry have announced a quick resolution to the church’s lawsuit against the city. New Life had filed a lawsuit against the city after the church’s zoning approval was denied in September. Pursuant to the settlement, the United States District Court of Alabama entered an order allowing New Life to worship in its building at 274 N. Foster Street.